Astarion: The Pale Elf - Baldur's Gate III Guide - IGN (2024)

Astarion is one of the many companions you can recruit in Baldur’s Gate 3. He is a high elf on the run from his long and troubled past. This walkthrough will guide you through every step of his companion quest, allowing you to see his tale through to the end.

Astarion

Astarion is a High Elf Rogue. As a rogue, he’s capable of using stealth to trespass, steal, and deal massive damage to his targets. Since he doesn't pick a subclass until Rogue level 3, you can specialize him as you see fit.

Recruiting Astarion

As you explore the Nautiloid Crash Region - particularly west of the main crash site - you’ll come across a pale elf that asks for your help. Whether you offer your help or refuse, he’ll attempt to grapple and threaten you. After a short altercation, you’ll have the opportunity to invite him to your party. You can also attack him if you prefer, but his rogue skill set comes in very handy.

Traveling with Astarion

As you travel with Astarion, there are a few events that can occur that cause special interactions or conversations with Astarion. We've listed some of the most prominent events here:

• After a couple of long rests, you’ll wake to find Astarion attempting to drink your blood, revealing himself as a vampire. Allowing him to drink improves his approval and performance (+1 to ability rolls until a long rest) and he gains the ability to drink blood, in or out of combat.
• In the Putrid Bog southwest of the Druids’ Grove, near the sigil waypoint, you can come across a monster hunter. After some conversation, you may learn that he’s looking for a vampire named Astarion. You can choose to kill him, or simply avoid him, or even give Astarion up. Speaking to Astarion afterwards causes him to reveal some information regarding his past and his master.
• If you sleep with Astarion, the next morning you can comment on the marks burned into his back. He will reveal further information regarding his master, who burned the infernal script into him. This can also be triggered by Astarion appearing shirtless in camp, in case you don't want to romance him.
• Following up on the infernal script, Astarion will request that you allow him to speak with Raphael the next time you meet him.

The Truth About His Scars

These events mark the start of Astarion's active quest. Once you reach the Shadow-cursed Lands, you can meet Raphael on the west side, across the bridges separating the two halves of the region. Speaking to him with Astarion in your party prompts Astarion to ask about the infernal script burned into his back. Raphael says he'll tell Astarion what it says if the party can kill Raphael's old enemy. While you can refuse, Astarion will be upset, and you'll need to deal with Raphael's nemesis anyway, so it's worth accepting the quest.

If you successfully kill Yurgir for Raphael, he'll appear in your camp during your next long rest to explain the marks on Astarion's back. Astarion's master, Cazador, used Astarion and his siblings as part of a contract to become a vampire ascendant.

This ritual will enhance his vampiric powers, while removing all of the negative effects associated with vampirism, but he needs to capture and sacrifice Astarion to complete it. Astarion vows to intervene and potentially use to ritual himself, but first you'll need to infiltrate Cazador's palace to do so.

Your first lead is to check the taverns and other dwellings in Baldur's Gate for Astarion's fellow spawn. As luck would have it, a pair of them can be found on the second floor of Fraygo's Flophouse. If you have Astarion in your party, you’ll especially want to speak to them. Astarion will torture one of them for information and you can choose to intervene or let him continue. Regardless, they let you know that the ritual is taking place in a defiled chapel beneath the palace before leaving.

The Lower City

Once you arrive in the Lower City, you’re able to go after Cazador at any time. Getting to him and defeating him is another story, so you should definitely consider waiting until you’re level 12 to go after him. If you’re ready, head to the Lower City Central Wall Teleport Sigil, then ascend the tower that it’s embedded on.

When you’ve reached the top of the wall, head north into the building; you’ll be stopped by a group of enthralled guards. You can persuade them to let you through, otherwise you’ll have to fight them. Following the path out of the tower leads you to the palace.

As you head into the palace, you’ll come across a large set of double doors that can’t be lockpicked. Instead, you need to find a Signet Ring and a Kozakuran Dictionary to get through the door. Head right down the hallway and the staircase until you come across a door with necrotic energy pouring out of it. Break the door down and jump to the far corner of the room, then check the wardrobe beside the bed; it contains the dictionary you’ll need.

Leave the room and continue down the hallway until you find the kennel with Godey inside. You can convince him that you’re there to turn Astarion in, and you need a key to enter the depths of the palace.

Once you have both, be sure to read the dictionary, then head back up to the door and open it. You’ll find a couple of enemies to fight in the ballroom. When they’re dealt with, you can use the lift in the southwest corner of the room to descend to Cazador’s ritual.

The Ascension Ritual

When you’ve descended, head north. Along the way you’ll be interrupted when you pass by cells full of Cazador’s vampire spawn. Head further north until you reach the stage for the ritual, then approach Cazador to start the fight.

If Astarion is in the party, Cazador will abduct him for the ritual, placing him at the rear end of the stage, then the fight will begin. Cazador receives a buff for each of his seven vampires in the ritual. Standing on the circle in front of a vampire allows your character to take the buff instead, but only for as long as they’re in the circle, but this can also apply to companions or other summons, like Shadowheart’s Spiritual Weapon spell.

The three most vital vampires to stop or intercept are Astarion and the two neighboring vampires; Astarion so he doesn’t die, and the other two because they provide extra AC and health regeneration. To free Astarion, one of your party members needs to use the Help action on him, thus freeing him up to fight and permanently removing his contribution to Cazador’s buff. If you don't free Astarion, Cazador will complete the ritual after a few turns, killing Astarion permanently, so make freeing him a priority. When you defeat Cazador, he'll run to his sarcophagus in the center of the arena; interact with it to finish him off.

Once the fight is over, Astarion can take the opportunity to complete the ritual for himself, but if he does all the vampire spawn are killed, including the children you might have promised the Gur you'd look out for. If you allow Astarion to complete the ritual, he'll become much more abrasive, though he gains an improved bite and extra necrotic damage on his spells. Power corrupts absolutely, and it's no different for Astarion, who failed to break the cycle of torment established by a vampire ages ago.

If you convince Astarion to be the bigger person, he'll still kill Cazador, but he walks away from the abuse that dominated his life for centuries. You also have the choice to destroy or let the vampire spawn in the cells live and leave the ritual unfinished. Though it's hard to walk away from all that power, it's for the best.

This intense encounter marks the end of Astarion's quest, no matter what you decided for him.

For help with your other companions, use the links below:

• Wyll: The Blade of Frontiers
• Karlach: Our Fiery Friend
• Shadowheart: Daughter of Darkness